Relaunched Alumni Achievement Awards Honor Four

The Institute’s Alumni Achievement Award Program was relaunched in 2012 as a way to demonstrate the Institute’s commitment to and pride in its alumni through annual recognition of alumni leaders. These awards are presented during spring commencement which "showcases the kinds of career paths that our new graduates can strive to achieve, and sends them the message that alumni live the school’s motto of “Be the Solution,” according to Leah Gowran, Director of Alumni Relations.

The Alumni Achievement Awards for 2012 are as follows:

Sam Worthington (MAIPS ’84), recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2012, is president and CEO of InterAction, the largest alliance of US-based nongovernmental organizations working overseas. Members work to decrease poverty and hunger, uphold human rights, safeguard sustainability, and ensure human dignity for poor and vulnerable populations globally. Sam has served in a variety of advisory roles for the United Nations and the U.S. government, including on the White House Task Force on Global Development and Poverty.

Tarana Patel (MATESOL ’01), one of two recipients this year of the Young Alumni Achievement Award, recently founded LearnEd, Inc. through which she strives to create customized English development and teacher training experiences in the higher education setting in Gujarat, India. She is the Education Development Advisor at the S. K. Campus of The Nootan Education Group in Gujarat and runs short-term English programs for students and faculty.

Scott Webb (MPA ’07), this year’s recipient of the Alumni Volunteer Service Award, spends much of his professional time in Africa, but also manages to speak regularly with prospective students, offer career mentoring to alumni and current students, and submit employment and internship opportunities to the Center for Advising and Career Services. Scott is a program officer in the Sustainable Food and Agriculture Systems division of the International Relief and Development agency.